Phuket Gains Rosewood Resort; GP Set for Thailand; Islam Film LA Arrest; Google Protest; Phuket Events

PHUKET: A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

dailymail.co.uk A grand prix in Thailand is on the cards from 2014 as an agreement is understood to have been reached in principle for a race to be run around the streets of Bangkok. The news has been confirmed by Kanokphand Chulakasem, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand.

afp Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the alleged filmmaker behind the video that sparked protests across the Muslim world, has been arrested in Los Angeles and is scheduled to make a court appearance.

A few hundred Thailand Muslims gathered at the US Embassy in Bangkok, chanting against the US over the anti-Islam film that continues to make rounds on social media networks. The demonstrators then went to the Google office to protest against its failure to remove the anti-Islam film from its YouTube video sharing site.

Phuket Update Muslims on Phuket are reported to have sent a letter of protest to the US Embassy in Bangkok, a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City has been told.

bangkokpost.com A committee of forensic experts have found that two bodies recovered from the orchard of an alleged Dr Death are not those of a missing couple they expected to find - but instead are two men, one of who was shot to death.

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bbc.co.uk Burma's President Thein Sein has paid tribute to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in his address to the UN General Assembly in New York. He also said radical democratic reforms in his country were irreversible.

mizzima.com The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (Brouk) has appealed to world leaders at the 67th UN General Assembly meeting in New York to put pressure on President Thein Sein following his proposal to remove all Rohingya people from Burma and place them in refugee camps or third countries.

bangkokpost.com Tourism revenue from Asia and the South Pacific could surpass Europe's contribution if tourist numbers from these four markets continue to grow, say industry insiders. India, China, Indonesia and Australia are the rising stars for Thailand's tourism industry.

thejakartapost.com Tourism stakeholders have urged the authorities to improve traffic management on the island by creating tourism-based transportation. They said the worsening traffic problems in Bali were hampering tourism from becoming more competitive and thus various aspects needed improvement.

smh.com.au Bill Gates has congratulated Australia for its $50 million contribution to an international fund to eradicate polio, saying the world is poised at an historic moment, just as it was before the victory over smallpox in 1977.

pattayadailymail.com On September 28, an opening ceremony will officially designate Pattaya's Walking Street as a Safety Zone to assure the safety of tourists and residents alike. Improvements will include more surveillance cameras and police patrolling the area.

AP Territorial disputes in the South China Sea are a diplomatic minefield but Thailand's prime minister hopes to bring something new to the negotiating table: a woman's touch. Yingluck Shinawatra told the Asia Society that as a nonclaimant state on good terms with all the parties involved, Thailand wants to help: ''Perhaps I can bring a bit of a woman's touch to addressing this conflict.'' Thailand is the Asean' liaison with China, which claims most of the sea and has conflicting claims with several Asean members.

abc.net.au Five Indonesian soldiers have been jailed over their involvement in a deadly people smuggling operation in which more than 200 people died trying to get to Australia. One claimed there were more senior people in the large syndicate that have avoided punishment.

news.cnet.com New Zealand's Prime Minister issued an apology to MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom after it was determined his government illegally spied on DotCom.

bedfordtoday.co.uk Phuket really does look as stunning as the pictures you see in the brochures and magazines. When we have enough energy, we make the journey to Patong, where most of Phuket's infamous beach parties take place.

Phuket People


hotelchatter.com Following the opening of its first Asian property in Beijing in 2013, Rosewood Hotels has announced it will add a Phuket resort in 2014. The beachfront retreat, which is near a 40-acre banyan-tree filled forest bordering Western Phuket's Emerald Bay, will be a modest haven of 87 one-and-two bedroom villas, 20 two-to-nine-bedrooms residences set on a half-acre each, and six exclusive forest ''hideaway'' hillside homes comprised of two-to-three-bedrooms each with a private gymnasium and lap pool. There will also be six restaurants and lounges for dining and entertainment.

washingtonpost.com Letter: The Sept. 22 news article 'In Thai shrimp sheds, exploited labor' unfairly sensationalised the issue of migrant labor in Thailand. Improving the welfare of migrant workers and combating human trafficking are high on Thailand's agenda.

nationmultimedia.com Starwood Hotels & Resorts is offering a Free Nights promotion for guests who book two or three nights stay at any of its 25 properties in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia from October 1-November 30, 2012 for stays during October 1-March 31, 2013. The campaign includes The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa and The Naka Island, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa.

Phuket World Sports Wrap

news.sky.com Chelsea captain John Terry has received a four-match ban and a 220,000 pound fine after being found guilty of racial abuse by the FA.

independent.co.uk Terry was found not guilty in Westminster Magistrates Court in July of a racially-aggravated public order offence with the prosecution unable to prove he had called Anton Ferdinand a ''f****** black c***'' as an insult.

scotsman.com Rangers have lodged a formal complaint with the BBC over the opening sequence to their coverage of Wednesday night's Scottish Communities League Cup tie against Motherwell. A 'Mad Men' opening sequence depicted manager Ally McCoist falling to ground.

aap French second seed Richard Gasquet battled back from a set down on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open alongside compatriots Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils.

Phuket Coming Events 2012

AUSTCHAM (Australian Thailand Chamber of Commerce) Phuket Sundowners social and business networking soiree at the new Hogs Breath Cafe on the third floor of the Promenade Plaza off Soi Bangla in Patong, on November 30, at 5.30pm. (Opposite the old burnt Tiger Disco). Contact harry@ladypie for details.

DUSIT THANI Laguna Phuket will celebrates it silver jubilee on November 25. To celebrate 25 years in the industry, the resort is offering 25 percent discounts on bookings for its Exclusive Pool Private Villas from now until November. Call 076 362 999 or email

Sourced: phuketwan